New Living Translation
Hebrews 11:20
20It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.
Hebrews 11:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
- New International Version (NIV)By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
- English Standard Version (ESV)By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau.
- New King James Version (NKJV)By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
Context of Hebrews 11:20
18even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau. 21It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff. 22It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.
Read all of Hebrews 11Hebrews 11:20 word by word
Πίστει καὶ περὶ μελλόντων εὐλόγησεν Ἰσαὰκ τὸν Ἰακὼβ καὶ τὸν Ἠσαῦ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Hebrews 11:20
- Genesis 27:27So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the Lord has blessed!
- Genesis 28:2Instead, go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your uncle Laban’s daughters.
Commentaries on Hebrews 11:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau - He believed that God would fulfill his promise to his posterity; and God gave him to see what would befall them in their future generations. The apostle does not seem to intimate that one should be an object of the Divine hatred, and the other of Divine love, in reference to their eternal states. This is wholly a discovery of later ages. For an ample consideration of this subject, see the notes on Genesis 27 (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come - see Genesis 27:26-40. The meaning is, that he pronounced a blessing on them in respect to their future condition. This was by faith in God who had communicated it to him, and in full confidence that he would accomplish all that was here predicted. The act of faith here was simply what believes that all that God says is true. There were no human probabilities at the time when these prophetic…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-31Verses 20-31 Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, concerning things to come. Things present are not the best things; no man knoweth love or hatred by having them or wanting them. Jacob lived by faith, and he died by faith, and in faith. Though the grace of faith is of use always through our whole lives, it is especially so when we come to die. Faith has a great work to do at last, to help the believer to die to the Lord, so as to honour him, by patience, hope…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20Isaac blessed: See Genesis 27:27–40. The only part of the story that could be seen as a blessing for Esau is that he would eventually break free from serving his brother. Later, Esau received blessings through Jacob's wealth (Genesis 33:8–11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Jacob is put before Esau, as heir of the chief, namely, the spiritual blessing. concerning things to come--Greek, "even concerning things to come": not only concerning things present. Isaac, by faith, assigned to his sons things future, as if they were present.Read the comment
Topics related to Hebrews 11:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hebrews 11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries